


The Comfy Cartel: Corpse gets 'hired'

by BubblesNCake



Category: Comfy Cartel - Fandom, OfflineTV - Fandom, amigops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:02:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28408947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubblesNCake/pseuds/BubblesNCake
Summary: Corpse is a young child living in an orphanage waiting to be adopted. He was super intelligent for his age, enjoying things like violent video games more than the usual sport, probably due to his health conditions. This has been a problem for him when attempting to be adopted as he struggles with being social and emotional, though he has been told that when he does laugh (which is rare) it is very cute. One day a young woman wearing a very professional-looking suit walks into the orphanage, and Corpse wonders what on earth she wants.
Comments: 22
Kudos: 80





	1. Operation orphanage

**Author's Note:**

> The idea was inspired by The Comfy Cartel and adapted into a short story, so make sure to support the comic where you can!

The Comfy Cartel: operation orphanage 

She doesn’t seem like someone looking to adopt, so Corpse observes from down the hall as she walks confidently from the door, heading towards the office room occupied by the dean of the orphanage. As he continues to watch her walk away, he is surprised to hear a loud crash behind him. As he turns to see what happened, he also notices that the young woman is now looking straight at him.  
Damn it! He didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He quickly scrambles to pick up the flashlight that had fallen on the floor, attempting to keep his composure, hoping that she would walk away and ignore the encounter. However, this is not the case, as she immediately starts walking up to him. Corpse then starts to fidget with his collar and tie as she approaches, looking only at his feet as he wiggles his toes and shifts uncomfortably. As she gets closer, he looks up slightly to see her lower half. Her shoes are very clean, almost brand- new looking, and her skirt falls just below her knees. He slowly starts to look up further, noticing more and more features, such as the faint smell of her perfume, not particularly expensive, but certainly not cheap.  
Finally, he looks her in the eye and finds that an intimidating, yet calming feeling washes over him as she smiles and he hears her voice for the first time.

“Hello there young man! I’m Lily, what’s your name?” she says, her voice sweet and demanding.

“Uh hi, I’m Corpse, nice to meet you.” He manages to stutter out eventually, still holding his collar. Weird, he’s never normally this tense, it’s not like this is another interview or anything, so he tries to brush it off, growing a bit more confidence, “What are you here for? Are you the inspector or something?” He had heard that a social worker was coming to inspect the building and how it was being run or something, so perhaps this was her?

She chuckles, her hand covering her mouth as she does so, then falling down onto your shoulder, “Oh no, I’m actually looking to adopt a child, you know any that you think I’d like?”

This surprises Corpse, the confidence that he had built up wavering a little, “Um, I’m not sure, not many families like me, so you might not like my recommendations..” he trails off, unsure of what else to say, suddenly feeling a bit emotional about how long he’s been waiting to be told that he’s loved and wanted, besides, his own parents couldn’t even keep him! No, he can’t afford to think like that, of course, there was a reason, and there is someone out there who wants him, it might even be this person standing right in front of him! All he needed to do was try.

“Oh? Why’s that?” she asks, kneeling down slightly in order to be on his level for eye contact, good thing he’s tall for his age so she only has to bend down slightly.

“Well, people think I’m weird, I like playing around with video games where I play as an assassin for a big organization, or I have to try and figure out who the murderer is, or I am the murderer or something. It puts people off me, you know? A kid who’s not really afraid of death.” He said it with finality as if he’s really accepted his lonely fate, and to be fair, he’s not wrong, who would want a kid who’s not put off at the thought of death and murder? But is he really ready to move on by accepting that and living a life without a family to support and love him? He wasn’t sure.

“Oh, well that doesn’t put me off one bit! I love videogames too, I used to play them with my friends all the time, figuring out who the killer among us was and all that, yeah, they were good times.” She looks into the distance, just over his shoulder, as if there were a ghost behind him. He sees the slight tinge of sadness in her face and voice and decides to say something.

“Well, if you like video games, and I do too, then maybe we could play together sometime, if you, you know, adopt me or something..” He trails off again, thinking that maybe he blew it, after all, it was a really weird and cringy thing to say. Maybe he has said too much, maybe he should have stayed in bed this morning and never woken up, but her response was the exact thing he wanted to hear, that he’s wanted to hear for all these years.

“That sounds great, I’d love to adopt you.” Her smile returns, bigger and brighter than ever.


	2. The Comfy Cartel: operation orphanage part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens now that Lily has decided to adopt Corpse? Chaos..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a bit short, I haven't really finished the plot, so any suggestions that anyone has would be greatly appreciated, but I do have a few ideas, so don't panic! More will be posted soon. I'm going to introduce as many well-known loved characters as possible from Corpse's gameplay through Minecraft, Among us, and now RUST.

They walked down the halfway together, her hand still on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. As they headed to the door down the hall, Corpse looked to his left and saw all of the other kids in their rooms with the doors open.  
One boy in particular he noticed was a kid who went by Dream, dangling upside down on the top bunk in his room while reading a book. He sees Corpse and a look of understanding crosses his face as he realises what was going on. His expression went kinda firm as if he were demanding that Corpse finally find a family, as he too has been there for quite some time, going through a similar experience to Corpse and understanding his pain.  
He usually wears a mask with a big smile drawn on, so Corpse was surprised to find it on the floor on the other side of the room. Perhaps he threw it aside in anger, maybe he got rejected again? Poor kid. He gave Dream a slight smile and nod, wishing him well as he gets back to his reading.  
By this point, Lily has noticed him looking into the other room, probably because he had slowed down to a near stop a little way away from the door. She looks between Corpse and Dream, seemingly understanding the situation.  
“Don’t worry Corpse, I’m sure one day we’ll come back for him!” His heart skipped a beat, he felt so enlightened by this, like this was really it, he was finally going to have a family, and Dream was going to be a part of it someday too.  
The door was getting closer, and anxiety built up in his chest, thundering in his ears, this is finally it! It was finally time for Corpse to pass an interview and be adopted. It was at this point though, where he finally realised, the door he was looking at wasn't the one leading to the dean's office, this was the front door. Why were they walking towards the front door? That can't be right, he thought about it hard, and suddenly looked up into Lily's eyes for an answer.  
Lily looked down into his large dark eyes, and smiled. "Don't worry, we're going home now."


	3. Corpse is kidnapped?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corpse has just now realized, he has in fact been kidnapped! What does he make of it?

The Comfy Cartel: Corpse is kidnapped?

What the fuck?  
He has never been in this kind of situation before, ever!  
He thought this was just a normal interaction with a nice woman who wanted to adopt him, but now something’s off. They are going out of the front door without saying a word to the dean or having a professional interview.  
Then the realization finally hit him, he was being kidnapped.  
But why? Why would you kidnap a child like him, all quiet and shy and weird, and why from an orphanage of all places?  
As the adrenaline rushed through him like a tidal wave, surrounded by worries and questions, Corpse found himself walking down the steps of the dreaded building that he had lived in for so long.  
The weight of Lily’s hand still on his shoulder felt so comforting like she knew his mind was racing. So why the hell was she kidnapping him? She could have just gone in, aced the interview, and it would have ended the same, right?  
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Corpse nearly walked straight into the large, black car in front of him. It was parked on double yellow lines, and by the looks of it, had been for some time.  
‘Okay, kidnap and illegal parking, that's not too bad right?’ He tried so hard to justify what the hell was going on, but nothing made any sense, nothing added up. With his thoughts still overwhelming him, he almost didn’t notice the driver get out of the car and open the door to them, bowing slightly as he did so.  
“Capo Lily, always an honor.” His words didn’t match his tone in the slightest, but it still seemed rather genuine. Yet, Lily took this with a pinch of salt.  
“Likewise, Brodin.” Straight to the point, she wanted that conversation to end quickly, but it appeared that this Brodin guy had a different idea.  
“Well, well, well, what’s this? I thought you were going to find someone who would be able to help us with our future plans, not some lean kid afraid of the cab driver.  
Before Corpse could even react to the comment, Lily forcefully but carefully guided him into the car, closing the door behind him. He tried to listen through the door or to lower the window, but to little avail. The words he heard muffled through the door were harsh and final. At least she was standing up for him, right? The argument was quick, and both were seated in the car in a minute max.  
A pane of glass separated the front and back of the cab, probably for privacy or something. Lily’s expression was stern, with a hint of relief as she pulled out her phone and typed out a couple of messages to a few people, one, in particular, seemed to make her smile, a love interest perhaps? No, Corpse wasn’t really interested in what she was typing, he had much more important questions that needed to be answered. Lily must have sensed this, as she turned her phone off and lowered it, still holding it in her hands on her lap as if for comfort.  
“Why did we walk out without an interview? Why was that driver parked illegally outside the building? Why did he call you ‘Capo Lily’? Who are you and what do you want with me?” There was a slight anger in what he was saying, but who could blame him? He’s only a kid after all, and he wants to know what and who he’s dealing with.  
The look he receives from ‘Capo’ Lily is one of pity and understanding. “Don’t worry, all your questions will be answered once we reach our destination, I promise.” Her small smile was what allowed Corpse to believe this promise.  
He leaned back in the seat and looked out of the window, looks like they had just missed the rain setting in as they left, so he counted each and every droplet as it dripped onto the window, humming his new little melody ‘Agoraphobic’ to himself as he did so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I keep leaving chapters on cliff-hangers! Hope you're enjoying it so far, and thanks for comments with recommendations for future plots and characters! Any advice you guys have will be taken on board!  
> Also, I am British, so if any slang that you don't understand or have never heard before pops up, that's why.  
> New chapter soonish?


	4. Corpse sees the cartel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so he arrives, at the Comfy Cartel..

As quickly as he dozed off, Corpse woke up, cheek cold after resting against the glass, still damp from when it was raining, luckily it had just subsided as the car parked up.  
He stumbled, head one inch away from hitting the floor as Brodin opens the door where all of his body weight had just been rested. A smirk crosses his face as he looks at Corpse, now on the ground, but Corpse doesn't notice. Red in the face, he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and took a good look around. In front of him stood a small row of shops, rather normal looking shops, the most prominent of which was a cute little garden shop, flowers and ivy surrounding the near invisible wooden door, now being pushed open by Lily.  
"This way Corpse!" She smiled, the most genuine smile Corpse had seen directed at him in a very long time.  
She held the door as Corpse ducked under her arm and into the quaint room, the aroma of roses and jasmine flowers overwhelming his senses for a moment.  
He feels Lily brush past him, hand gently lingering over his shoulder for a second, he looks up and follows her around the shop, attempting to hide the tears threatening to fall from his eyes due to the smell. He blindly stumbles into the counter, stubbing his toe as he does so. Damn it, why is he so accident prone? Oh well, maybe no one noticed..  
"Oh Jesus, that looked like it hurt, you okay there kiddo?" Wow, that's such a nice voice, it wasn't Lily's and he hadn't noticed anyone else enter the shop with them, so this person must have been there beforehand. "Do you want a plaster or something?" he sees a soft looking hand reach to a shelf over his shoulder, he follows it to see it pick up a little green first-aid kit. The hand retracts, carrying the first aid kit with it, and Corpse watches it as it is set on the table. He finally gazes into the face of the man offering him a plaster for his stupid toe. He sees a young man, maybe 17 or less, much younger than he expected, only a few years older than Corpse. He had smooth skin, a well-defined jaw, and gorgeous brown eyes, eyes that you could easily get lost in, but Corpse wouldn't ever admit that. Even still he was surprised, who was this guy, why was he so cute and why was he being really nice, offering a plaster was it?  
"Oh no thanks, I'm good," his ears burned, eyes still glazed over. God, he must have sounded so weird. The guy didn't seem to think so though, as he just smiled, putting his hand to his mouth as he did so, giggling slightly.  
The man closed the first aid box again, placing it back on the shelf. "Well nice to meet you! My name's Sykkuno, what about you?" Sykkuno? Weird name, but whatever, suppose Corpse is a weird enough name too.  
Corpse opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off abruptly by Lily, "This is Corpse, new recruits, speaking of which, I need to speak to Michael and Yvonne." Her tone was sharp and to the point, so Corpse decided not to say anything, allowing her to speak for him, too focused on the man in front of him to notice the word 'recruit'. Sykkuno seemed to have the same idea, motioning towards the door behind him, "Yeah sure, they're somewhere in the back, Micheal mentioned something about a laser baby? So, uh, good luck I guess."  
And with that, he swiped a keycard over the metal door behind him, a small buzz was heard, and the door swung open slowly, creaking as it did so. Lily guided Corpse past Sykkuno and through the door, watching as he looked up and into the room before him, and his jaw hit the floor..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!! Been a rough one, so I hope this story cheers people up in some way, Corpse fluff pics always cheer me up anyway, but yeah, thanks for all the great comments and tremendous support! So glad I started this project, gonna spend tomorrow brainstorming. Anyways, love you guys! Hope you all enjoy! x


	5. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is Corpse gonna meet next? Lots more characters mentioned today! Gonna get to meet them very soon..

Wow..

This place, is, HUGE!

What the heck!?

Corpse looks around, completely frazzled.

He is inside a massive open area of some kind of ware-house? The walls looked like they were made of some kind of scrap metal, as if they had been put together by hand, not by professionals with qualifications to do so.

Huh. Illegal massive factory-looking building? Okay. Oh well, it looked so cool!

Turning back to Lily who seemed to be distracted with her phone, Corpse saw the door that they came through, alongside many more, all looking the same. Ohh, suppose that makes sense, one door for each of the shops and restaurants out the front. At least now he knew where the exits were, and that there were multiple of them. 

His anxiety calmed down a bit, and he looked up at Lily, shuffling on the spot a bit waiting for her to acknowledge him.

It wasn’t till an unfamiliar voice sounded behind him, metal clanking along the floor, getting closer and closer, that Lily finally looked up.

“Oh, h-hey Michael,” she stuttered. Weird, she seemed so confident, yet this ‘Michael’ seemed to throw her off.

“Oh, hey Lily, me and robot dog were just about to go find Poki, I finally managed to upgrade those x-ray goggles, and with that new group growing I thought they would help her troops look into it better.” Corpse finally turned and saw a young man, standing with an open, confident stance, blissfully unaware of the way he seemed to make Lily feel. Beside him stood a small metal dog, about half Corpse’s height, and even though it was not alive or anything, he still found it kinda cute, the realistic wagging it’s robot tail and sitting next to his owner, this guy must be super smart if he was able to create something like this!

“Oh yeah, sounds great, good job! Have you seen Yvonne around by any chance? I wanted to introduce her to her new apprentice,” She looked expectantly down at Corpse, who immediately blushed a bit, taking a step back to be slightly behind Lily, giving Michael a small wave.

Michael looked down at Corpse, taking off the goggles that had been sat on top of his head. “He’s a bit young, don’t you think? But who am I to judge, so is Sykkuno and he is in that division now too.”

Wait, wasn’t Sykkuno that cute guy from the shop? Were they going to be running the shop together? That would be a dream come true to Corpse, that guy seemed so nice, like he understood and respected Corpse, they would get along great.

“The hell? Why is Sykkuno under Yvonne now? I thought he was with Toast!” Lily sounded angry, like she knew she was deliberately not informed of this change in arrangements. Her clear dislike for this shook Corpse a bit, adding to his confusion.

“He opted out, temporarily, said he wanted to get used to seeing the mess before making it, yh’ know?” His tone seemed calming, as if he were trying to disperse the negative energy in the room, and it worked to some degree.

“Fine, whatever, I need to talk to her anyways. Good luck with Poki and the goggles.” Michael smiled, nodding his head a little in understanding, before walking away, robot dog leaping under his feet excitedly. 

By this point, Corpse’s confusion was immense, first he was kidnapped rather than adopted, which was now alright with him, he hated that place anyway, and these people didn’t seem to have any bad intentions in mind for him, instead offering him a job, but in what? First it was working in that shop, now it was cleaning up a mess? What on earth is going on?They walked around for a minute, down a hallway, left, down another hallway, right. Until they came to a door, like one you would see in Hollywood for actors, with their names etched on. But this door didn’t have a star, the name said Yvonne, and the door handle was stained a metallic red..

Lily knocked twice, and after a long pause the door was slowly opened.

There stood Yvonne, mop and bucket in hand, drenched in blood.

“Hi Lily, is this what you wanted to show me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again so much for the support! Sorry this chapter took a while to come out, kept changing my mind on how to present different characters and stuff. Be sure to comment thoughts and opinions, if you want to see anyone in particular be sure to let me know! :)


	6. Welcome Corpse..

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally see who or what really adopted Corpse

“Hi Lily, is this what you wanted to show me?”

Corpse looked up at Yvonne in horror.

What the hell? Is that blood!?

He instinctively sidestepped behind Lily, clutching her blazer while continuing to stare at Yvonne with eyes full of terror. Lily giggled, and once again placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. 

“Yup! This is Corpse, I was thinking of putting him under your wing while he gets used to the work, before talking to Toast about giving him an upgrade.” Lily gave Yvonne a nod, prompting her to take off her blood-stained glove, and stretch her arm out to Corpse. 

He slowly let go of Lily and reached out for Yvonne’s hand, giving it a light squeeze and shake.

“Hmm, I better give you lessons on how to give a proper handshake. Do you know what we do here Corpse?” Yvonne has now taken off both gloves, and has placed her bucket and mop against a nearby wall. Stepping up to Corpse, she puts her hand on the small of his back, guiding him further into the room. 

Corpse turns around to look for Lily to support him. She smiles at him, waving gently, before closing the door, leaving him alone with Yvonne.

“As you may have heard, I’m in charge of cleanups around here. But not the kinda cleanups you were thinking of..” Corpse cuts her off abruptly, voice cracking slightly as he does so.

“Dead people?” He was trying so hard to come to terms with it. He was starting to think that this had turned from an amazing dream to a vivid brutal nightmare. He gave his arm a slight pinch, watching as his skin turned white, then red, then back to its normal colour. It wasn’t a dream. He wasn’t waking up. And nothing hammered it home more than the body he saw, propped up against a crate, blood pooling at the waist and head, a weird symbol carved onto the left cheek, the letter C encasing a smaller letter c.

“Welcome Corpse, to The Comfy Cartel”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late upload! Been so stressed with exams being moved forward, then cancelled, and another lockdown! Back to online learning for me! Hope you're all staying safe. :)


	7. Cleaning up!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting into the action now :)

“And that’s how you carve the perfect Comfy Cartel logo! Just remember to avoid the nose and eyes if you can, otherwise, it’ll get messy”

It was day one of Corpse’s lessons with Yvonne, who would have been a really cool normal teacher, except she wasn’t normal because she was teaching Corpse how to give a good handshake (which he now has nailed thanks to his strong, firm grasp), how to properly dispose of a body without leaving too much evidence, and now how to carve the symbol used to represent The Comfy Cartel into an unwilling victim’s face as they die.

At first, Corpse had no idea what on earth was going on and wanted nothing more than to run away or throw up, or both. But as he slept in his own little room in the BnB that was located in the middle of the row of shops disguising the Cartel, the smell of the garden store next door was becoming more and more bearable, he decided that anything was better than that orphanage, and the rejection he had been shown for so many years.

For this reason, he made an effort to become a member of this family, even if they were kinda murderous and everything.

While practicing carving the logo into some paper mache which Yvonne had made ready for him earlier, there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Sykkuno, zoned out with his hand on the back of his neck. He hadn’t even noticed the door had been opened until Yvonne waved her hand in his face.

“Hello!? Earth to Sykkuno? What do you want, can’t you see I’m busy?” Sykkuno pokes his head around Yvonne’s shoulder to see just what she was busy with. He didn’t expect to see Corpse playing with some paper mache, much less did he expect the boy to look at him, smile, and wave in recognition. He could feel his blush growing there and then but decided to ignore it as best he could.

“Uh, Jack and Felix just finished up a job downtown, took out some of those Team Rocket guys, they want it clean so that it can’t be traced back to us.”

“Makes sense, what do you say Corpse? Wanna come with us?” He looks at Yvonne with big dark eyes, throwing away everything on his desk, picking up the equipment he had been given as a gift from Michael the day before, and was at the door in seconds without a single word.

“Wait, you really wanna come?” Sykkuno looks kinda shocked. He was recruited two years ago now, and he knows how he felt when he found out what kind of organization he had joined, and it wasn’t like this.

“Yeah, I suppose I could use the experience. And you guys will protect me right?” He may have looked confident, but he was actually borderline sweating. They’re gonna go clean up dead people. He knew how to do that though, thanks to Yvonne’s lessons.

After a few hours, they arrived at the location, a small detached house in a quiet culdesac. The door was swinging off of its hinges, but nobody seemed to pay any attention to it, must be common or something over here.

Brodin had dropped them off and was waiting in his cab down the street. They planned everything in the car, Sykkuno would go in first and scope out the area, as he was the only one with a gun knowing how to use it. Then Corpse would follow with his knives, with Yvonne coming in last with her bucket and mop.

Corpse watched from around the corner of the building as Sykkuno shouldered the door and entered, gun drawn in front of him, held with both hands. 

His form was perfect, “Why is he on cleanup with us? Shouldn’t he be in the action or something?” Corpse was curious, although he loved the fact that he got to spend more time with Sykkuno, but he felt like he didn’t belong with them. His hunch was right.

“Yeah, he wasn’t always in our division. He used to work under Toast, territory expansion. He was one of the best, until one day, when he was tasked with taking down some guys who were causing some problems for Lily, trying to pull down our public image. He and his partner Ludwig went to get rid of them. Only one of them ever came out of that apartment.”

Oh.

“He blames himself every day. It’s not fair though, he was only one year older than you are now actually, and he wasn’t ready. Since then he has decided to help out on my end, which is nice. Until him, I was working alone. I’m grateful for the help, and I think he’s starting to recover finally. You seem to be helping with that too.”

At least he was helping. Corpse finally found his purpose, he finally found his family. He was definitely staying, working with the Comfy Cartel.

“Bingus!” That was the codeword, an odd one that no one expected, which is why it worked great.

Corpse entered the house, followed closely by Yvonne. His knives were drawn and he was scanning the room. No one but Sykkuno. Oh, and two dead bodies laid on the floor. Perfect headshots, nice. Less cleaning up to do.

All they had to do was get the bodies to the car, and take the rug too, it had some blood on the corners. It had to look like nothing ever happened here.

Sykkuno watched as Yvonne got one end of the rug, and Corpse got the other. They wrapped the bodies in the rug so that if they were seen on their way to the car, it wouldn’t look too suspicious, and you wouldn’t be able to see the fact that it wasn’t just a rug they were carrying.

“Looks clear enough, you two gonna be able to lift that?” Sykkuno raised a good point, Corpse wasn’t strong enough to carry them. 

“Good point, Sykkuno, give Corpse your gun and help me lift. Corpse, any sign of movement, you know what to do.” The pair looked at Corpse holding the gun, it felt natural in his hands. He kept his thumb on the safety, and his finger on the trigger, ready to fire if necessary.

From the other side of the room, a faint glow from the fridge caught Corpse’s eye, but he didn’t look away from the duo in front of him, hauling the rug up in near silence.

All of his senses were on high alert, his toes curled, his hands shook, and the hair on the back of his neck was stood up. He scanned the room once more, Yvonne half out the door. They were going to be okay.

Suddenly, a shadow passed the light on the other side of the room. They weren’t alone!

Bang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd do an extra-long chapter today, and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out! Sorry I killed Ludwig (or did I?) Let me know what you guys think in the comments! Stay safe out there x


	8. First kill?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who shot who? Let's all pray for baby Corpse being a tiny hero.

Bang!

Silence…

Thump.

A million and one thoughts were rushing through Corpse’s head. Did he just shoot someone? Who was it? And did he really actually murder another person?

Yvonne and Sykkuno were still at the door with the rug, but something was off. In the dim light, Corpse could see that the rug had been dropped on the floor, and laying against it was Sykkuno.

He was clutching his chest, around the bullet wound.

Corpse could have screamed. Had he shot Sykkuno!?

His question was quickly answered when he heard a grunt near the fridge. The intruder was grasping his side, trying to prop himself up against the wall.

Oh, thank God.

He hadn’t killed anyone, and he hadn’t just shot his new friend Sykkuno.

Both shot men were now quietly panting and grunting in pain, glaring at the other. At this point Yvonne takes over, grabbing the gun from the floor next to Corpse, taking the safety off as she does so, walking straight over to the guy.

“Who the hell are you?” Her voice was intimidating, cold, and to the point. She was pissed.

“You won’t find out shit from me!” He reaches out for his gun, which is immediately kicked away by Yvonne effortlessly. 

“You sure about that?” Her features twisted into the most menacing smile known to man. This guy was going to die a slow and painful death at the hands of Yvonne for sure, and Corpse knew exactly what she was going to do.

He slid his best knife across the floor over to her, still in the same position as when he first collapsed, his hands were still shaking, the adrenaline still flying around his body, making him dizzy.

Everything started to blur, and he couldn’t hear Yvonne anymore. His concentration turned to Sykkuno, still laid against the rug near the door.

A squeal was heard from the other side of the room, but Corpse decided to ignore it, shuffling his way slowly over to the door.

“Oh Jesus this is bad,” Sykkuno looked up to see this tiny child dressed in black shuffling over to him, and he giggled slightly. “Oh hey there Corpse! Don’t worry about me, I’ve had worse. Thanks for saving me actually, you were so brave!”

He was so comforting and understanding, why did he have to get hurt?

Corpse decided to tear off a corner of his hoodie, which had been made especially for him by Lily, featuring his face in red wearing a little mask with a bunny ear. He loved it, but he knew that he had to help Sykkuno. Besides, Lily wouldn’t mind making him a new one when she found out what had happened.

He gently lifted Sykkuno’s hand to put the material underneath, placing his own tiny hands over the top of his, applying as much pressure as possible.

He hadn’t even realized that he hadn’t said a word since they entered the building, until he had been embraced in a hug, and started crying quietly into Sykkuno’s side.

“It’s going to be okay, yeah? You saved my life, we’re both going to be okay.” Even in pain, his voice was so calm and gentle.

“Mmhm” Corpse could hardly say a word, so he continued to hold as tight as possible, still holding his hoodie piece over the wound, covering his hands in blood. He didn’t care. He wasn’t going to let go.

The last thing he saw was Brodin coming in to help Yvonne carry the rug out to the car, then the new body, then Corpse and Sykkuno, still clutching each other for dear life.

Then he finally blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just thought I'd clarify, because looking back it kinda looks like it, but this is not a corpsekkuno fic. I'm trying to make them become close friends as a plot point for later. I just feel slightly uncomfortable shipping real people like that. This story is purely fictional and for your enjoyment. Sorry if you expected something else. For more clarification, JackSepticEye mentioned how he feels about shipping real people, and he sums it up really well. There's nothing wrong with corpsekkuno fanfics, as long as it is made clear to be a complete work of fiction. Thank you for supporting these two wonderful individuals.
> 
> On a brighter note I guess, thank you so much for the 690 hits! This has been really incredible and I'm so glad so many of you are enjoying this. Please feel free to continue expressing your thoughts and feelings in the comments. See you guys in the next chapter! x


	9. Time to wake up!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corpse wakes up and has a chat with Lily :)

Knock knock

That was the first thing Corpse heard when he woke up in an unfamiliar bed in an equally unfamiliar room. It was so empty, metal scraps littered the corners of the room, light hardly finding its way through the dull grey curtains draped over the windows.

He was hugging the pillow like it was going to evaporate out of existence, his face still wet from the nightmares that plagued him surrounding what happened.

As he rubbed his eyes with small, numb hands, he looked up to see Lily. She was holding a tray of tea and cookies.

That’s odd. The last thing he remembered was holding onto someone in the same way he was holding his pillow..

“Time to wake up sleepyhead!” She approached to see Corpse sit up from the bed in anguish, tears starting to flow from his eyes.

“Sykkuno! What happened to him? And Yvonne and Brodin! Is everyone okay?” He was panicking, speaking through quiet sobs, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the water flowing from them.

“They’re fine don’t worry, they’re all fine. In fact, both Sykkuno and Yvonne came to visit you this morning..” She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Corpse shot out of the bed, eyes wide.

“They were here? But Sykkuno got shot, shouldn’t he be in the hospital or something?” he was so emotional he completely forgot about the fact that Sykkuno was an assassin and could’t go to such a public place, especially with a bullet wound! It was either that, or he chose to ignore this fact.

Lily giggled slightly, again hiding it by covering her mouth with her hand, everyone here seems to do that, “He’s okay, he woke up yesterday after a friend of a friend named Dr Lupo took the bullet out and bandaged him up. Though I heard that Blaustoise took a worse beating.”

“Who’s that? Isn’t Blastoise a pokemon?” Who on earth was she talking about?

“No silly, he’s the guy I heard you shot. And looking at where you hit him, which is hard to see after the number Yvonne did on him, you have a pretty good aim. Wanna talk about it?” Something was off, she sounded disheartened, and it was worrying.

“No, not really, but uhh, where am I?” He was deflecting, but he was also curious, this was a room that he’d never seen before.

Lily knew what he was doing, and decided to answer his question anyway, “This is Michael’s room, he’s been pulling all nighters in the basement working on new projects recently, so he said that you were free to sleep here till you felt a bit better. None of us have seen him much, and he doesn’t speak to most anyway, so you’re lucky he would do something like this for you.” 

This time she showed a small genuine smile, one that allowed for Corpse to put the pieces together that she did in fact like Michael alot more than she would like to admit, but he kept his mouth shut, focusing on something more important.

“Can I go see Sykkuno now?” Although they hadn’t known each other for very long, he felt a real bond with the young man, and trusted him more than anyone else.

“Sykkuno has taken some time off while he recovers, you probably won’t see him for a while,” Lily trailed off, until she met eyes full of confusion and disappointment, and she knew that she had to continue. 

“After what happened, he was really shook. He said the thought of you being put in so much danger under his protection, and you having no choice but to shoot another man at such an age, it was too much for him, he felt guilty putting you through all of the things that he had to endure himself.” 

Once again her face fell, hands clinging to the sides of her skirt.

“Is it because of what happened with Ludwig,” he didn’t want to pry, but at the same time he felt like he needed to know more. He needed closure.

Lily looked surprised, an expression he never expected to see from her. “Yes, it is. I’m genuinely shocked that he told you about it.”

“He didn’t, Yvonne told me, though she didn’t say much.”

“It was a tough day for the Cartel. We all loved Lud. And it shouldn’t have happened to begin with.”

By now Lily was sat at the edge of the bed, staring at a blank wall swinging her feet as they dangled an inch off the floor. Corpse was just sitting crossed-legged looking at her, waiting for her to speak again.

“2 years ago, we were the strongest group of them all. We had structure and discipline, something the other Cartels lacked. But that made us a target. All the smaller groups started getting together, trying to find a way to take us down. We were winning the fight, but our resources were spread too thin. My division, ‘Public Image’, was seen as unnecessary, so all my resources and friends were taken away to work under Toast. Ludwig was my best reporter, he went undercover during my speeches and whatnot as a journalist, gaining knowledge from many different sources, then sending it back to me and Poki. When they took him, he was paired with Sykkuno, who was no older, and no more experienced than you. It was at this point that we found out that there was a mole. The problem was, we had no idea who it was. Everyone who worked for us was so loyal, we trusted many with our lives. Thanks to his inside knowledge, Lud was the first to snuff her out, and went out with Sykkuno to ‘confront her’. Neither of them knew that she was ready for their attack. Kkatimina slaughtered Lud the second he stepped through the door, her demise came when she misjudged Sykkuno’s height, as he just barely dodged the rain of bullets sent flying in his direction. He single handedly killed everyone in that room, before carrying Lud all the way home, where he lay him on his bed and said his goodbyes. In order to avenge his death, Sykkuno decided to take down the entirety of Kkatimina’s forces with little to no help. To our surprise, he was successful. Toast and Scarra saw him as a valuable asset after that, but respected his wishes to work under Yvonne for a while as he cooled down and finally mourned his loss.”

“Wait, didn’t Sykkuno just start working with Yvonne afew days ago like me?” 

“Yes, he did. It took him two whole years to destroy her. But after what happened with you, I don’t think he’s coming back.” 

Corpse wasn’t the first child Lily had adopted, he realised that now. Him and Sykkuno were the same age when they were taken, it made sense. But if that’s what happened to Sykkuno, why would she do it again? Unless it wasn’t her choice. What if it was that Toast guy who saw potential in Sykkuno and tried to exploit him?

Even knowing the truth, knowing the consequences of what it meant, he made his decision, officially to Lily.

“I am going to help take down the people who hurt Sykkuno. I am going to destroy this Team Rocket.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many people are dead already! Hope you all like where this is going, also, next chapter may be a time leap, as I don't think baby Corpse can deal with any more shenanigans right now. If you want to share any ideas about characters that you want adding or some short side quests, then make sure to leave a comment and I'll be sure to take a look. Thanks again for the continued support, I really appreciate it. Stay safe guys x :)


	10. All grown up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 7 years later, and a lot has changed.

~ 7 years later ~

Bang

“Ugh!” He slumped to the floor, clutching his chest, stumbling back into the white couch behind him, staining it red in the process. 

“Who the hell are you?” His eyes were big, wide with anger and fear, fear for his life. He knew this was the end, and he had to know who was behind the mask, slaughtering him in his own home.

“I work for the Cartel, that’s all you need to know.”

And with that, the last member of Team Rocket was dead. After Corpse had murdered XQC, the last few members went into hiding. It took him seven whole years.

He got to work, carving the logo on his right cheek, laying his body on the couch, and making a swift exit through the window.

As he leaped into the back alley, walking casually down the street like he was just out for a late-night stroll, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. It was probably just from the cold, but just in case, he clutched the knife given to him by Michael all those years ago.

It was a chilly October night, the moon was not quite full, but it glowed an eerie yellow, faintly illuminating Corpse’s face as he took off his mask. Wearing it out in public would raise some suspicions, especially since that Shroud saw him. He was the first and last person to ever best Corpse, but it wasn’t long before Toast’s guys brought him down.

That feeling was becoming more and more overwhelming, the feeling of eyes analyzing his every move, the feeling of some unknown entity breathing down the back of his neck. The feeling of being followed.

A rustle to his right, a footstep to his rear, Corpse heard it all. He was composed, and ready to take whoever this might be head-on.

He waited, and walked, and waited again. He started flipping the knife in his hand, becoming more and more impatient.

Finally, as he crossed an alley, movement caught his eye. In the darkness, he saw a shadow racing towards him, mere centimeters away from his face. His hand reached out and caught it. His grip was tight, and he wasn’t letting go. He didn’t know who or what he’d caught, till he heard a quiet, pained squark, so he stepped back into the light.

It was a pidgin. He had it by the throat, it’s wing caught, and most likely broken. 

Corpse sighed, a deep sigh, as he let go and the poor animal fell to the floor, scurrying away, limply trying to pick up speed by flapping its good wing.

At least his reflexes were still on point, and the feeling that had been haunting him seemed to have disappeared. And so, Corpse continued to walk down the dimly lit street, heading back to the Cartel to turn in for the night.

He was completely oblivious to the presence of a young man sitting on the roof watching over him.

…

Corpse arrived at the Cartel around an hour later, and the floor was loud. He had put his mask back on before he entered the shop, but even then people could sense his dislike for the noise and parted like the red sea as he made his way to the discussion room for a meeting which Capo Lily had mysteriously invited him to.

He didn’t expect much, maybe a well done from her and Poki, and his new assignment from Toast, but the atmosphere as he entered the room was heavy.

Lily stood in the corner holding Temmie, Poki and Toast were clearly in a heated argument before he entered the room, both now silent and red in the face, arms crossed over their torsos. Last was a man who Corpse had seen only once before, a man he had a lot of respect for.

Don Scarra was sitting in a large black chair that loomed over him when he sat forward to rest his hands on the desk in front of him, becoming Corpse to take a seat.

By now he was bewildered as to what was going on, but he never revealed that, instead simply taking a seat before the Don, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room as he did so.

“I’m impressed with your work over the last several years Corpse. You have been a great asset to the Cartel, and we are grateful for your efforts.” Corpse simply nodded in response, not daring to look up from a small imperfection he had spotted in the middle of the table. “That is why we trust you, and you only, to carry out this next assignment.”

Toast then stepped forward, sliding an envelope across the wooden surface of the table. It landed perfectly in front of Corpse, who took it warily and opened it. As he did so, he took his first look up, but not at Scarra, instead to Lily. He had found that he could tell the severity of a situation by her reaction to it alone, and the fact that Scarra had decided to grace him with his presence personally hit hard when Corpse saw the fear and anxiety in her face.

Whatever this was, it couldn’t be good.

The envelope contained photos and reports, some taken by police, others from Poki’s division. He read through the information slowly, taking every bit of detail in. There was a new group on the rise. Usually, this wouldn’t be a problem, as the Cartel had built up their numbers significantly in recent years. 

The problem became apparent though, when he read, ‘leading members known to the Cartel as ex-employees’. That was bad. A group with any kind of intel on the Cartel meant that there could be a spy.

Other than that, the case actually looked pretty average. Small group, quickly gaining new members, while taking out the small fries. That was until he read that there hadn’t been a single attack on any members of the Cartel. Since they are ex-employees, this was odd.

“Why are there no names? If they are ex-employees of ours, shouldn’t we know who they are?” This was the most pressing question to Corpse, one he needed to know the answer to in order to form a strategy.

“Yeah, about that, we thought we should tell you instead of, ya’ know, watching you read it on a piece of paper.” This time it was Poki who spoke up, giving Corpse a sad glance that immediately made him sick to the stomach.

It was someone he knew. Surely that’s why. But who? He hadn’t worked with anyone since God knows when, so it’s not like he’d care who it is, right?

“There are three main group leaders,” Toast started, “One you haven’t heard of is Ash. She used to work with Lily in public appearance, using her cutesy voice to win over potential investors. One you may know of is Sean, known better as Jack…” Yes, Corpse had heard that name before. He left the Cartel not long after Felix retired. Everyone thought he just couldn’t do the job without his partner in crime. That was fair.

“And who’s the last one?” The suspense was killing him, why were they putting him through this? All they needed to do was write the names on the paper so he could be on his merry…

“It’s Sykkuno, Corpse.” Lily’s voice was unfaltering, monotone, and utterly devastated all in one.

“Sykkuno?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> J10! Corpse now has a decision to make, who will he follow?


End file.
